Anybody out there?

Oops! Ok I'm a horrible person... ok maybe I'm just a horrible blogger. Anyway, let's throw this out... I was asked twice in the past week about this blog... and I was thinking, "blog?... what blog?... oh... yeah" Life has been very busy for both Bethany and I and I guess this was one of the first things to go from the list. So here's my question... does this actually update anyone on anything? If not, it will continue to drift off into cyberspace and I will be perfectly content... if so then we will still try to update and write every so often. So send me an e-mail, comment, or whatever to let me know if you've ever really looked at this since last July and if you are still out there! Thanks!!

Mission Trip

Some video highlights from our mission trip to New York City.

VBS

From Vacation Bible School - Gameday

yadda yadda yadda

With a few friendly reminders from some who read this on occasion, it was brought to my attention that we hadn't updated or thrown any pictures on here in awhile. We are getting ready for VBS starting tomorrow and then we are a few short weeks away from going back to New York for our mission trip. The picture here is from a speaking opportunity I had at the National Day of Prayer. The summer is truly going to be packed with stuff in the church and especially in the student ministry. It is that time of year again and we're trying to stay on top of things. I think we've been to four or five graduations in the past month. Our pastor will be out of town for the SB Convention after next week so I'll get to fill in some there too. That's a glimpse of what life is like for us at the moment and what it will look like in the weeks ahead. We hope you all are doing well and don't YOU forget to keep us "posted" on things too!

Seeing Tragedy with Reborn Eyes

Our nation was struck with a great tragedy this week with the shootings at Virginia Tech. There are countless stories pouring over the media from those sharing thoughts and perspectives. The one common thread running throughout the papers, radio, television, and web pages are the cries of the community for answers. We rightfully want to know who is responsible and if others are now safe. Many of you no doubt have been and will continue to be a part of conversations about this horrifying day. I’ve heard talks about nature vs nurture, the human psyche and conscience, and all the possible remedies for such evil. It is important that we not stand idly by and let the pop psychologists and talk shows provide all the answers to our family, friends, and coworkers, instead we must see this and every other area in life from a biblical worldview. We believe Scripture when it says that every person is a sinner and in need of a radical transformation that can only be brought about through Jesus Christ. Although we have seen sin in various forms on the front pages on the news, we also know that it separates those same family and friends from God. Apart from God’s grace, any one of us could be turned over to our sins and be involved in such a story. This horrific event should call us to intercessory prayer and remind us that those reading the headlines are also broken people in need of mending and renewal through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we mourn with those who mourn I pray that believers will also stand as ambassadors of Christ with a message of hope amidst the pain.

Cars, Conferences, & More!

Well things still haven't settled down much with Easter this weekend but we have finished race week and the student conference. The size of the race crowd was mind numbing with cars and campers literally as far as the eye could see. I preached in 26 degree temperatures (see picture) the day of the kickoff and thawed out later that week to join in an exciting Family Day. We had campers in our yard, lined down the street, and up the road. As little as I know about racing we still had fun with some of the lesser intoxicated individuals in our area. The Spring Student Conference went well overall with a few bumps along the way. There were roughly 1,500 students and adults in attendance and I felt like I met most of them at some point. I'm relieved that we are done (for now) with some of those areas so we can turn our attention to some new opportunities for parents and volunteers at our church. Bethany is doing more work with our small groups and teenage girls. She is also singing several times in our Easter Cantata this Sunday which should come as no surprise! We pray you have a wonderful Easter week celebrating the death and resurrection of our Savior. Never lose the wonder!

March Madness

With all due respect to college basketball, I think the activity at our church the next couple of weeks will generate plenty of excitement as well. Raceway Ministries is in a full charge to make preparations for the people coming in to watch the races in Bristol. I have a great opportunity to speak at one of the early chapel services this weekend during the official kickoff to race week. There will be tens of thousands of cookies spread throughout the area and a lot of opportunities to help the medical crews as first responders. As many of you know I'm not exactly a racing fanatic, or even a casual fan. Ok, so I don't know much at all about racing and wouldn't recognize most of the drivers if they walked by me going down the street. Don't people just go for their driver and to watch the others crash anyway!? I am excited about the opportunities going on with Raceway Ministries and can't wait to see what all the fuss is about. We are also putting the final touches on planning a Spring Student Conference for our Association with well over a thousand students in attendance. There are also plans in motion for the Mission Trip that need to be finalized in the next couple of weeks. In other words, March is madness and I've got to get busy! We'll let you guys know how everything goes once we've survived!